Education & Development Opportunities

At CDOT, our foundation for innovation is built on two core pillars: Continuous Improvement and Respect for People. We believe the true value of process improvement lies in creating an atmosphere of continuous learning—an environment that not only accepts but actively embraces change. Our goal is to develop quality people who are empowered to challenge the status quo and continually improve our processes. This responsibility doesn't just lie with a few dedicated specialists; it is a shared mindset across the agency, where leaders act as teachers and coaches to help their teams succeed.

To support this culture and empower employees at every level to fix what bugs them, we offer a variety of interactive training programs focused on process improvement and change management. Whether you are looking to earn your official Green or Black Belt certification, learn how to successfully navigate the "people side" of implementing new ideas, or simply discover tools that will fundamentally make your day-to-day work easier, these courses are designed to equip you with the practical skills you need to succeed.

Format: 

1-day and 3-day class options available

Who Should Register: 

We offer workshops to all employees, as well as targeted workshop for managers and supervisors, and business improvement project managers.

Overview: 

A great idea is only successful if your team actually adopts it! This course teaches you how to successfully manage the "people side of change".

What You Will Learn: 

For an organization to truly change, the individuals within it need support. To ensure succcess, we offer the following role based change management workshops: 

• 1-day CM for Employees - designed for individual contributors experiencing change or will experience change in the workplace.

• 1-day CM for Managers and Supervisors - designed for supervisors with direct reports. The intent is to prepare supervisors for changes that are impacting them personally and prepare supervisors to lead their employees through change.

• 3-day CM for Internal Business Project Management - Comprehensive Change Management certification program where you will be working on a real-life internal business project that is currently underway or planned in your organization. 

Certification: 

The 3-day change management course is a comprehensive certification program for project managers. You will be working on a real-life internal business project that is currently underway or planned in your organization. You will be applying the methodology and tools from the course to your project.

Format: 

Half-day course

Who Should Register: 

Everyone at CDOT (and other interested state employees upon request)! A core pillar of our Lean methodology is "Respect for People," which means empowering and encouraging employees at every level to fix the processes that bug them.

Overview: 

This interactive, half-day class teaches employees to systematically identify and remove waste (non-value-adding activities) to fundamentally make the day-to-day work easier.

What You Will Learn: 

You will learn practical problem-solving frameworks like A3 Thinking and the Plan-Do-Check-Adjust (PDCA) cycle. The curriculum covers hands-on tools such as process mapping, root cause analysis, workplace organization (6S), and how to spot the "9 Process Wastes" (DOWNTIMES).

Certification: 

Attending this class is the first step on the Green Belt Certification Roadmap. Afterward, you can earn your official certification by picking a real "pain point" on your team, fixing it, and submitting your completed A3, PDCA, or 6S project to the Lean Everday Ideas (LEI) catalog.

Format: 

3-day course

Who Should Register: 

State employees who are business improvement project managers

Overview: 

Are you interested in learning even more about advanced Process Improvement? If you want to take your skills to the next level, you can sign up for the rigorous Black Belt training program and Certification offered through the Colorado Innovation Academy.

What You Will Learn:

The Colorado Innovation Academy is a training and development program designed for State of Colorado employees. This program has been established to provide a centralized and unified approach towards Lean Black Belt certification. The primary objectives of this program is: 

• Increase access to consistent quality training for operational excellence so continuous improvement becomes a norm in state agencies

• Enhanced collaboration among agencies to develop, deploy and reinforce best practices for continuous improvement

Certification:

Black Certification requirements:

1. Complete Black Belt Training 

2. Present at the  Innovation Summit

3. Implement your Project

4. Submit your Innovation Form